Marking and Coat Color Definitions

Guessing the Right Coat Color:
Since foals can change color after losing their foal coats, the following may help in determining the color of your foal:

1) Check the areas where foals tend to lose their baby fuzz first – around the eyes and nostrils are good indicators.
2) If white hairs appear on the face, especially the eyelids; and one parent is grey, the foal will most likely be a grey. Grey horses have black skin. The varying shades include a steel grey, rose grey, dappled and flea-bitten all will be recorded a “grey” in color.
3) If fuzz is replaced by black hair on the legs, the foal will usually be a bay. Other black points can include the mane and tail, the edge of the ears, or black above white leg markings.
4) If it is hard to determine if a foal will be chestnut or a red bay – remember a chestnut will not have a black mane and tail or legs. The mating of two chestnuts will always result in a chestnut foal. Chestnut foals often have light blonde fuzz on their legs which can easily be confused with white markings. If in doubt, wet the hair and look for pink skin to indicate true white markings.
5) A black horse is usually born a mousy grey color, while a foal born black will usually grey. The entire coat of the horse must be black. Conformation can be made by checking the fine hair on the muzzle or flank – brown hairs indicate a bay.

Do not try to draw markings from memory – take a pencil and look directly at the horse when drawing on your registration application. White leg markings should correspond with the color or striping of the hoof. All white leg markings originate from the hair line and go up the leg.

Facial Markings:

1) Star – any white marking above the eye line.
2) Strip – white marking between the eye line and the top of the nostrils, within the nasal bones on the bridge of the face.
3) Blaze – same as a strip except the sides extend outside the nasal bones and off the sides of the bridge of the nose.
4) Snip – any white marking between or extending into the nostrils.
5) Upper lip – white below the nostrils.
6) Lower lip – white on the lower lip.
7) Chin – white extending all the way around the chin and below the lip.

Leg Markings:

1) Coronet – white marking extending no more than approximately one inch above the hairline.
2) Pastern – white up to the bottom of the fetlock joint
3) Fetlock - white extending just to the top of the fetlock joint
4) Sock – white above the fetlock joint but below the midpoint of the cannon.
5) Stocking – white above the midpoint of the cannon. Can extend over knees and hocks.
6) Ermine marks – small black or brown (please indicate the color) marks around the coronet band and can cause striping of the hoof.
7) Partial leg markings – irregular leg markings, example being a fetlock with a white line extending up the back of the cannon to the mid point would be referred to as a “partial fetlock”. Accurate drawing and extra pictures may be needed to document such markings.

Body Markings:
For identification purposes, all markings should be well drawn and photographed for documentation. Body markings can include:

1) Dark patches on a bay or chestnut
2) Grey or roan patches
3) White body marks
4) Any discernible scars
5) Tattoos, freeze or hot brands should be noted.

Hoof Color:

1) Dark hoof – black or dark in color. Normally there will not be a white marking above a dark hoof.
2) White hoof – white or light (sometimes pink) in color. Normally there will be a white marking above a white hoof.
3) Parti-colored or Striped hoof – white and dark vertical stripes on hoof. Normally the color of the hair at the hairline corresponds with the stripes of the hoof.